The Devil Gets To Boast

And this piece is part two of the series I discussed in the previous post. In that poem, "I" mistook a discouraging demon for a the devil on my shoulder. He told me horrible things about myself, and showed me that my life was in shambles. And after the conversation, I realized the things he said was right. But the true devil, was offended that I mistook his servant for him. So he then, decides to pay me a visit, and basically gloat that when it comes to my particular case, his side seems to be winning. But then things take a surprising turn...

"The Devil Gets To Boast"
2011

He was standing atop the rubble,
His eyes asked the only survivor near
"Tell me, where's your precious God"
And I lent my silence to his ear
But he must have had a second sense
Or could've smelled my suffering
That he would arrive with false pretense
And thought enough to ring
And call upon my wretched state
As if to smile and say hello
But instead, having motives all the while
To see how far my despair may go
So this handsome man, draped in white
Chose to clear his throat and speak
And condescension wrapped his tongue
As he asked, "must your mood remain so bleak"
And I shook my head while fighting tears
Looking at the pieces of my life
While he stooped down to inspect a piece
That was sharper than any fabled knife
And this referenced piece was double-edged
And labeled "curiosity"
Which he then skipped across the water's face
And watch sink with great velocity
He said, "dear friend, if I can call you that
I've just removed a burden from your mind.
For it's a trait that often killed the cat
As you humans have come to find.
And you see that other guy
Who they praise for sitting on a cloud
Well, he frowns upon that sort of thing
Especially, if proudly said aloud
Just look at His first creations
Whose crime was simply sharing fruit
And He condemned them for their actions
During their curious pursuit
See, He claims to make you in His image
And then gives you these desires
Hoping that you will prove me wrong
And escape my waiting fires
'Cause we once had made a wager
So very many moons ago
That He would give you all free will
And then we'll see where you may go
And I believe the way He has you wired
Will only lead you all to me
So that's why I encourage you
To be as indulgent as you can be
Because I know it's in your natures
The way that cells are in your bloods
And I'd never tell just one to build a boat
While I killed the rest in floods
And I noticed you shook your head
When the word wager left my lips
As if it was a molten lie
That left it's mark upon your fingertips
But I'll ask you to call upon your memory
And think of dear Job's brutal plight
'Cause the things that I was allowed to do
Were just so He could prove He's right
So now I'm asking how much you will endure
Just to assuage a greater being's pride
While your inner rage is growing pure
Over the answers you have been denied."
And in my head his words did ring
But he's still the Devil after all
And though he's not in serpent form
I know he still seeks to see me fall
Because it's when things are at their very worst
And my cursing God is close
That the Devil feels he's nearing first
And then he gets to boast
So now he's here so full of self
And full of something I would never say
Thinking that the card that's up his sleeve
Is simply all he has to play
And he said, "while it may behoove us now
To sit and share a verbal joust
I will offer you the greatest deal
Since I brokered one with Faust
See, he merely wanted knowledge and
The power to catch the eye
Of some silly, little human tart
Who didn't know he was alive
And in return I got his soul
Delivered by Mephistopheles to me
Despite Heaven having now become
The one place he'd never see
And are you a better man that he
Showing so pious of a stance
That here under this pale moonlight
You still wouldn't share a dance
And I said, "let me stop you there
For I'm beginning to hear enough
'Cause you're just here to pick the bones
Since the going's gotten rough
'Cause you see, it's times like these
That I don't know what I should believe
But I find it quite insulting that
You think me easy to deceive
'Cause while I want the smaller things
My pockets only cry for gold
And to me, that doesn't ever mean
I'll just buy anything I'm sold
Because you're standing here with a smirk
To feed me massive lies
Since you recognize I have some nagging doubts
That you intend to pacify
And Faust was a greater fool than I
For dealing with the Son of Dawn
And every other tale you'll tell today
I will have to greet it with a yawn
For I am here and not impressed
With any soul you may collect
And your sensing of my inner doubts
May indeed prove to be correct
But that doesn't mean I will ever sell
This soul I'm fighting to appease
And certainly not to catch the eye
Of a girl who'd let me wither in the breeze
And while you're here I should prove a point
To those who claim to work for God
'Cause their true faces seem to favor yours
And I think their points of views are flawed
And that doesn't make me a better soul
Because I will admit my flaws
And I've grown tired of not feeling whole
I'm not here for your forced applause
So as long as I'm a human with free will
I believe that I will always sin
And while you may always get to boast
In the end, my friend, God will always win
That is... If I can call you that... "
And as I walked away with pride
The Devil's eyes were locked on me
And throughout that time we shared a gaze
I saw the things that a man should not be
But I overlooked the simple fact
That someone was looking down
And after I had walked out of view
He thought it was time to bless the ground
And then God came down the ladder that
Jacob had best described for us
And at first He wasn't going to intervene
But I guess He felt He must
Then he walked over to Lucifer and said
"Surely little Morning Star,
You knew that young man's soul was mine
And yes, I could say I told you so
But let's save that for another time..."